The Silentiary

Antonio di Benedetto (1922-1986) was an Argentine journalist and author of five novels, the most well known being Zama, which is available as an NYRB Classic. His first book, the story collection Mundo Animal (1952), appeared in English translation in 1997 as Animal World.

Juan José Saer (1937--2005) was considered one of the most important Latin American authors to come after Jorge Luis Borges. He wrote several novels, a few of which are available in English, including The Regal Lemon Tree and The Witness. He died in Paris.

Esther Allen has translated Javier Marías, Jorge Luis Borges, Felisberto Hernández, Flaubert, Rosario Castellanos, Blaise Cendrars, Marie Darrieussecq, and José Martí. She currently teaches at Baruch College (CUNY) and has directed the work of the PEN Translation Fund since its founding in 2003. Allen has received a Fulbright Grant (1989), two National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowships (1995 and 2010), and was named a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters (2006). She previously translated di Benedetto’s novel Zama for NYRB Classics.